Fade To Black
by dudelove85
Summary: The time has come for the Doctor to say goodbye to one of her oldest friends. The Time Lady is heartbroken but she is still able to grant Sarah Jane Smith and the Bannerman Road Gang one final wish. Part of my Series 8 AU
1. The Last Day

**_A/N -_** _Any newcomers if you haven't read any of my previous Series 8 Doctor Who stories, this will probably make no sense so I recommend read them first. For the old hands and regular reader, this follows directly on from the end of The Coal Hill Chronicles. More will follow tomorrow._

 _Chapter 1 – The Final Day_

The TARDIS door closed behind The Doctor with a heavy bang. The raven haired Time Lady buried her hands into her pockets and let out a deep sigh. It was strange having the TARDIS all to herself again. Even though she knew Jenny would be safe in London for a few weeks, her presence in the old time ship had been comforting to the Time Lady. It was a reminder that she wasn't alone in the universe anymore. She still felt alone but this wasn't the crippling loneliness she experienced after the Time War. This was more like empty nest syndrome, her child had spread her wings and temporarily flown away from home.

Walking up the gangway The Doctor wondered what to do with herself. She could cheat and skip forward a few weeks to when Jenny was ready to travel again. She quickly dismissed that idea, it might actually do her some good have a few solo adventures. Plus Jenny would know if she had cheated, her daughter had developed quite the knack for seeing people's time lines. Reaching the console The Doctor had a couple of ideas, she could investigate the mysterious 'they' who had been crossing her path recently. Alternatively and this option sounded more fun, she could drop in on a few previous companions.

Her fingers danced over the controls, there were plenty of people for her to visit. She almost keyed in the location for someone who couldn't attend her 'memorial service' when she suddenly froze. There was a feeling in the back of her mind that she had to be somewhere urgently. Without looking at the destination on the monitor, The Doctor punched a couple of buttons and disengaged the handbrake. Moments later the TARDIS arrived in the correct location and the Time Lady wasted no time in marching back down the metal walkway and out the door.

Stepping out into the street, the raven haired woman immediately regretted not checking the weather outside. Heavy rain was falling from the sky and it was absolutely freezing. It was weather like this that she wished for her ridiculously long scarf again. Looking around the ordinary looking suburban London street, The Doctor frowned, "Bannerman Road?" she muttered to herself. A wave of memories flashed across her mind, making the Time Lady stagger backwards. She clutched her hand against her temple and waited for the pain to pass, "I hate it when I catch up with my own time line", she hissed through gritted teeth.

The pain had passed but The Doctor still hadn't moved from the spot, her gaze firmly fixed on house number 13. She had been led here for a reason and she didn't like what was going to be behind that door. The Doctor wanted to put this day off for as long as possible but that wasn't going to be possible. She remembered the teleconference, a few hours ago for her but if her time sense was correct a few days ago for the occupant of the house, "It's her time", she sighed in resignation.

Crossing the street slowly, The Doctor paused outside number 13. Her hand hovered a few inches from the door, she didn't want to knock because that would start the event rolling. The Time Lady lowered her hand and thought about walking away but then she remembered the Brigadier. She had heard about dear old Alistair's death by telephone and that meant she would never get the chance to say a proper goodbye, all because she wanted to put off a day like today. She wasn't going to make that same mistake again. The Doctor steeled herself and quickly banged on the door before she had a chance to change her mind.

The Time Lady shook the excess water off her hair and waited for someone to answer the door. She pushed as much negativity away from her mind as possible. If this was going to be her last chance with her former companion then she wanted to make sure that it was as happy as possible. Just when The Doctor thought no one was going to answer, the door flew open to reveal a young man with shaggy brown hair, "Luke Smith", The Doctor greeted warmly, "good to see you again, been a while hasn't it".

Luke barely had a chance to answer as the Time Lady barged her way through the door. He looked incredulously at the woman who by now was wondering around the living room. He quickly slammed the door shut and set off in pursuit, "I'm sorry but who are you?" he asked.

The Doctor frowned at the young man before slapping her head, "Right, yes you haven't met this incarnation", she chuckled to herself, "it's me Luke, The Doctor", she grinned. Luke didn't looked overly convinced, "Yes I know, new body with a little more", she pointed at her chest and then flicked her long black hair, "remember the Trickster and the wedding", she clicked her fingers, "that was one of my more difficult escapes".

"Doctor", Luke visibly relaxed but at the same time he began to chew on his lip, "Mum said you'd come", he added with a small voice, "on her-", the rest of his sentence was cut off as a stray tear fell from his eye.

The Time Lady could feel the grief from the young man and it almost overwhelmed her own senses. Part of her wanted to comfort Luke but she felt a little awkward as she didn't really know him that well. Instead The Doctor chose to wait for Luke to regain a little bit of composure, "I was correct", the woman sighed, "this is one of those times that I wish I wasn't". She ran her hand through her hair, allowing it to rest at the top of her head, "Can I see her?" Luke nodded hesitantly and led the Time Lady passed the kitchen and into a small extension at the rear of the property.

Inside the room The Doctor locked eyes with a teenage girl with brown hair who could only be Sky Smith. The Time Lady wasn't too surprised to see the other two member's of the Bannerman Road gang either. Rani Chandra was leaning against the wall with Sky gently resting against her shoulder whilst Clyde Langer stood watch over the pair from the opposite side of the room. Dominating the room was a double bed with a very familiar, if gaunt looking, face, "Oh Sarah Jane", The Doctor had to take a couple of moments to regain her composure, "you've gotten yourself into a tricky situation haven't you?" she attempt to joke.

Sarah Jane Smith's eyes almost came to life when she finally registered that The Doctor was standing in her bedroom. She attempted to sit up a little straighter but each movement was accompanied with a sharp and heavy cough. Clyde leapt towards a nearby oxygen tank but the brunette quickly waived him away, "Doctor", Sarah wheezed, "you came".

"This was one visit I couldn't miss", The Doctor gave her a weak smile. The young adults and Sky quickly looked at each other, clearly Sarah Jane hadn't gotten around to telling them about The Doctor's regeneration either, "Could you give us a few minutes?" the Time Lady pleaded with the group.

Luke and the others looked a little hesitant to leave Sarah Jane alone, "It's fine, I'm not going anywhere", the brunette smiled at the group, "perhaps you could make our guest a cup of tea", she glanced quickly at the Time Lady, "still milk with two sugars?"

"Just one nowadays" The Doctor replied, "need to watch what I'm eating. I'm not getting any younger".

"And yet you turn up with another remarkably youthful looking face", Sarah Jane smiled, "not as young as the last one mind you". The Doctor perched herself on the bed next to Sarah Jane as the rest of the Bannerman Road gang left them alone. The pair sat in silence for a several moments, The Doctor really didn't know what to say to his former companion, "You're still not any better at saying goodbye", Sarah reached out and gently grasped the Time Lady's hand.

"At least you're safely at home this time", The Doctor sighed and tightened her grip on Sarah, "this is the wrong way around, I meant to be here to comfort you".

"I don't need comforting Doctor", Sarah Jane attempted to reassure the Time Lady, "I've accepted my own death a while ago". She gently rubbed the back of The Doctor's hand with her thumb, "I got to see you one last time, that's all the comfort I need".

The Doctor smiled in appreciation and accepted the gesture of comfort from Sarah Jane, "Can I at least ask what's wrong?"

"Does it matter", Sarah Jane with resignation, "this isn't something you can fix so does it truly matter what illness has been successful in doing what hundreds of aliens have failed to do".

The raven haired woman had to chuckle at the dark sense of humour from her former companion, "No I guess not", she began, "a wise person once said that everything has its time".

Sarah Jane smiled, remembering the time that she had said that to the Tenth Doctor, "They sound like an incredible person".

"The very best", The Doctor smiled broadly, much to the amusement of the brunette. Silence once again descended on the room, only this time it was a little more comfortable. Rani and Sky returned with the promised tea and the Time Lady silently accepted the drink. The pair were about to leave when the raven haired woman called out, "No, stay". The pair quickly closed the door but still remained uncomfortable in the woman's presence, "So Rani, I hear you're studying to be a doctor yourself".

"Are you really The Doctor?" Sky asked curiously earned a sharp rebuke from her pseudo sister, "you look different than I imagined".

"Yeah, not the first time heard that one", the Time Lady groaned, "but to answer your question, yes I am The Doctor, I'm a two thousand year old alien from the planet Gallifrey and your mother is one of the best friends and companions that I ever had".

Sarah Jane blushed profusely at the praise from the Time Lady and she attempted to shield her embarrassment from the group, "Are you here to help Mum?" Sky asked in hope.

"Sky", Sarah Jane sighed loudly.

"It's alright Sarah" The Doctor moved herself on the bed until she was directly in front of the teenager, "I'm sorry Sky but there's nothing I can do, extending someone's life beyond their natural end is against the laws of nature. Not even a Time Lord or Lady should interfere with the natural order". Her hearts broke as the young girl's face fell, "Believe me if I would move heaven and earth for your mother if I could".

The Time Lady watched as the teen reluctantly accepted that her mother's time was almost up and if she was honest, she had never felt more helpless in her life. A quick glance behind her revealed that Sarah Jane herself was close to tears, Rani too was barely holding her emotions in. Shaking her head The Doctor quickly stood up, "No this won't do", she said defiantly, "Sarah Jane shouldn't leave this world surrounded by tears". She pulled out her screwdriver to take a quick and discrete reading, "I have a TARDIS which means I can give Sarah Jane Smith one final wish". The Time Lady turned around and looked at her former companion, "Whatever you want Sarah, it's yours".

Sarah Jane struggled to get her words out, not just because of her illness but also because she was struggling to find an answer to the Time Lady's offer. She looked outside the window at the grey and miserable day outside, "Well, maybe if I could go somewhere sunny", she said with a weak voice.

"Now that I can do", The Doctor stood up and opened the door, "one bright, sunny day for my Sarah Jane Smith". She turned around sharply and began to walk backwards, nearly bumping into Luke and Clyde, "Get Sarah Jane ready for somewhere sunny and I'll meet you all in the TARDIS", she called out to everyone.

"Wait a minute Doctor", Rani burst out of the bedroom, "she's too ill to go anywhere".

"Rani dear", Sarah began, "I'll have plenty of time to rest soon". She was beginning to twist herself out of bed, "Now please, help me get dressed".

"Just one point", Clyde nervously raised his hand, "Rani and I are still restricted to Earth by the Judoon".

The Doctor snorted, "Judoon, bunch of pudding brained rhinos", she shook her head, modifying her plan slightly, "trust me Clyde what I have in mind will not get you in trouble with the intergalactic 5-0". She gave the group a cheeky smirk before marching out the door and towards the TARDIS. She would give Sarah Jane Smith a last day to remember if it was the last thing she ever did.


	2. The Final Goodbye

_Chapter 2 – The Final Goodbye_

The second The Doctor re-entered her TARDIS, she took a moment to regain her composure. Leaning against the closed door of her time ship, the raven haired woman looked up towards the dark ceiling and let out a loud sigh. She wasn't expecting Sarah Jane to be so positive in the face of her own mortality. Banging the back of her head a couple of times against the wooden door, The Doctor wondered if she would be so stoic in the face of death. True she had regenerated several times in the course of her life but wasn't exactly the same as permanent death. Her last change was probably the closest she had come and had required a little trickery to see her through. For a brief period though The Doctor had been dead and Eleven had faced it with the same dignity that Sarah Jane was showing. Maybe he had been a better person than The Doctor gave him credit for or perhaps he was calm because he knew that he had an escape plan.

Pushing all of that aside for another time, the Time Lady quickly marched towards the console and began fiddling with the settings. Truthfully she had forgotten that Clyde and Rani were restricted to the planet so her original plan had to be scrapped. A small smile came to her face, "Creative and clever", she chuckled to herself and began to set the co-ordinates, "Two words often used to describe me", she added and pulled a couple of levers.

"Still modest as ever", the weak voice of Sarah Jane Smith echoed endlessly through the TARDIS. It was now that The Doctor noticed how frail the brunette looked. She was being pushed in a wheelchair by Luke with an oxygen tank attached to the back of the seat. Her clothes might have hung loosely from her skinny frame but there was thing that hadn't changed. Sarah Jane still retained the same sense of wonder as she had done when she first stepped into the TARDIS all those years ago, "You've redecorated again", she took in the steam punk inspired console room.

"Not bad is it", The Doctor fixed her best smile to her face, "can't take all the credit though, the old girl did most of the work". With the exception of Sky, this wasn't the first time in the TARDIS for the rest of the Bannerman Road gang. They still marvelled at the 'bigger on the inside' time ship and took a few moments to drink in the new interior, "Right then you lot", The Doctor quickly pulled on a switch, "one sunny day coming up".

The TARDIS lurched into life and the familiar groaning sound accompanied the movement of the time rotor. It wasn't a long trip and it felt like only a few seconds had passed before the Time Lady declared they had arrived, "Doctor I still don't understand how you're going to bypass the Judoon's travel restriction", Rani said with a nervous quiver to her voice.

The Time Lady gave the dark haired woman an enigmatic smile, "My dear Miss Chandra", she began, reaching the doors to her ship, "it's hard to punish you when you haven't even left London". She threw the doors open and as promised, bright rays of sunshine poured into the ship. The Doctor led the group outside and into a large open field. Behind the TARDIS was a forest populated with tall, green trees and in front of them was a small ridge.

Approaching the edge, the group could see into the valley below. There were more fields and trees in the valley below and in the far distance was a river meandering across the landscape, "Welcome to Hampstead Heath, circa 100 BC", the Time Lady declared. She pointed out a small settlement next to the river The Doctor continued, "That down there is the village that will one day become the City of London. I would've preferred to travel a couple hundred years further on in time but I didn't want to bump into any Romans".

"Why, what's wrong with the Romans?" Sky asked curiously. The young teen was taking her journey over two thousand years into the past in her stride.

"Nothing wrong with the Romans themselves", The Doctor answered, "I'm just not very popular with them, something to do with a fire, Emperor Nero and a fiddle". The Time Lady shrugged, "Not my fault that a parasitic race chose to occupy Rome". She shook her head as the children gaped open mouthed in her direction, "But that's a story for another time, feel free to explore just try not to step on too many plants in the area".

"Will that change the course of history?" Clyde stated nervously.

The Doctor snorted, "Hardly, I just don't think you should trample all over this beautiful scenery". The comment garnered a small, weak chuckle from Sarah Jane "Go on, Sarah and I will be fine alone for a few minutes". Reluctantly the children walked away and into the forest behind the TARDIS. The Doctor smiled as Luke took charge of the group and led them deeper into the trees, "They're a good bunch of kids", the dark haired woman smiled and sat cross legged next to Sarah Jane's wheelchair.

"They're hardly kids anymore Doctor", Sarah Jane replied, "Luke's about the same age I was when I first started travelling with you". The Doctor nodded but offered not verbal reply to the statement. Instead the pair sat silently and drunk in the view, "I can still see the city", Sarah continued, "over there is the London Eye and that's where the Shard will be", she pointed to various spots on the landscape.

The Doctor pointed somewhere too, "Over there is where the Senate building of the Fourth Holy Roman Empire will be situated, little bit after your time". Sarah giggled softly to herself, "Really impressive architecture, it's an upside down pyramid of all things".

"Sounds like an interesting future", she sighed, "shame I won't get to witness it", she added sadly.

"To be fair that is about ten thousand years into your future so no one alive now will", it took The Doctor a few moments to realise the hidden meaning behind Sarah Jane's comment, "Oh, I see what you mean now", she added apologetically.

"Please don't get maudlin on me now Doctor", Sarah Jane pleaded with a small tear in her eye. She quickly wiped it away to prevent The Doctor was seeing how upset she truly was. Even though she had accepted death, that didn't mean that she happy with how things had turned out. "Why did you come Doctor?" she asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "you don't particularly like endings let alone unhappy ones like this".

The Doctor took a few moments to think of an adequate response to Sarah Jane's question. The Time Lady idly plucked a few blades out of the ground, "Remember Alistair's passing?" she stating, referencing Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart's death a few years ago. Sarah Jane nodded slowly and allowed the Time Lady to continue, "His death hit me pretty hard but I found that it more painful not getting a chance to say goodbye". She released the blades of grass she had pulled out the ground and allowed them to flutter away in the breeze. The Doctor then looked Sarah Jane directly in the eyes, "I couldn't allow that to happen again, not with you", she added firmly.

By now the tears were flowing freely from the brunette. She had met a few incarnations of The Doctor before, some of them were better at expressing what was on their minds than others and this Doctor appeared to be better than most. What she liked was the honesty from the Time Lady, not all regenerations of The Doctor were quite as open, "I loved you, did you know that", the journalist turned alien hunter continued, "no one ever measured up to you in comparison".

"Doesn't surprise me", The Doctor chuckled with a cocky smile on her face. Sarah Jane responded with a small laugh of her own and it wasn't long before the two women descended into hysterics. The laughter continued for several moments until a loud, hacking cough snapped the pair back to reality. The Doctor carefully removed the oxygen mask from its holder on the back of the chair and offered it to her former companion.

Taking a few deep breathes of oxygen, Sarah Jane's cough gradually subsided and her breathing began to return to normal. The Doctor was kneeling directly in front of the brunette's chair and gently rubbed her knees in an effort to comfort her, "You understand why we couldn't pursue anything back then?" she asked in hope, "I was already on shaky ground with the Time Lord's as it was".

"You were never one to follow the rules", Sarah Jane replied with a little more bitterness than either of them was expecting.

"True but that wasn't the main reason", the Time Lady continued, "how long has it been since you met me?"

Sarah Jane frowned, "Just over forty years, give or take", she answered.

"For me it's been over thirteen hundred years" The Doctor stated simply and allowed the simple fact of her biology to sink in, "and I'm nowhere near done. It wouldn't have been fair to either of us, living with something like that hanging over us". Sarah Jane knew this deep down but she still needed to remind herself of this fact every now and then. "Think about this Sarah, if you had stayed with me then what would've happened to Luke and Sky".

The former journalist sighed in defeat, The Doctor was right. If she hadn't left the TARDIS all those years ago then it was unlikely that she would've adopted her two children. Those kids meant more to her than anything. Wiping away the last of her tears, Sarah Jane added, "Just, tell me that I meant something to you".

The Doctor slowly stood up and rubbed her hand against Sarah Jane's cheek before pressing a tender kiss against her forehead, "Oh Sarah, you and the rest of my companions mean everything to me". She looked Sarah Jane directly in the eye, keeping her cool hand against her cheek, "Sometimes I think my companions are the sole reason I continue with my travels".

Sarah Jane nodded vigorously, "Thank you Doctor", she said and you could hear the sense of relief in her voice. "Promise me one last thing, you'll keep an eye out for my children", she added.

"Sarah Jane Smith it would be an honour and a pleasure", the Time Lady smiled. At that moment the aforementioned children emerged from the trees and slowly strolled in their direction. The Doctor released her grip on Sarah Jane and slowly backed away to allow her some time with her family, "Goodbye Sarah Jane", she said with a quiet whisper.

"Goodbye Doctor", Sarah Jane replied. Luke and the others arrived at his mother's chair just as the Time Lady was backing away towards her TARDIS. She subtly scanned Sarah Jane with her screwdriver and checked the results. She closed her eyes tightly after viewing the results, there wasn't much time left.

Instead of retreating into the TARDIS, The Doctor sat down against the wall of her machine. Her legs were propped up and her arms rested uncomfortably on top of her knees. She allowed the gentle hum from the TARDIS to comfort her during Sarah Jane's final few hours. The Time lady kept a silent vigil over her former companion, her children and her protégés as they spent their final moments with the woman.

Just as the sun was setting, The Doctor noticed a change in demeanour from the young adults. He observed Rani pressing her fingers against Sarah's neck as Luke held his adopted sister close. With a heavy sigh and feeling of immense pain in her hearts, The Doctor slowly picked herself up off the ground and approached the group. The Doctor looked on numbly as Rani slowly backed away from Sarah Jane. The haunted look on the trainee doctor's face told the Time Lady exactly what she already knew.

The Doctor thought about pushing the chair containing Sarah Jane's body back into the TARDIS but something about that didn't feel right. Instead she bent down and scooped up the brunette in her arms bridal style and carried her back to the ship, "Come along Sarah Jane, what do you say to one final journey?" she whispered quietly in her ear. The Doctor knew she wouldn't get a response but it was comforting to her. She nudged the TARDIS door open and prepared to transport Sarah Jane Smith's body back to her own time for the send off she truly deserved.


	3. The Next Great Adventure

_Chapter 3 – The Next Great Adventure_

Ealing Church was packed with family, friends and well wishers ready to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of Sarah Jane Smith. Outside the church The Doctor shuffled on the spot waiting for the arrival of the hearse carrying the body of her late companion. True to Sarah Jane's final request, the Time Lady had spent the last few days helping out with the funeral arrangements. Helping was perhaps a stretch since the raven haired woman had no idea what arrangements needed to be made. She considered asking Clara for help but she thought that the school teacher could use a break after the recent events at Coal Hill.

Realising pretty early that she was the worst person to arrange a funeral, the Time Lady put all of her energy into helping make the next few months as smooth as possible for Luke, Sky and the others. She ensured that Luke would be named as the sole guardian of Sky whilst keeping his place at University. Luke asked how the Time Lady had managed to do this so quickly but her only response was a small, enigmatic smile. She also had one final surprise for the group which she was anxious to share with the youngsters.

The Time Lady's wait was brought to an end when two dark grey vehicles pulled up outside the church. The Doctor bowed her head as the oak coffin was unloaded from the rear of the hearse and slowly carried passed her and into the church. Just behind them came Luke, Sky, Clyde and Rani who were dressed in black. Sky was leaning heavily against her older brother, her eyes red from having shed some tears earlier in the day. The other three were stoic, trying to put on a brave face for the youngest member of the group. It didn't take a telepath to tell that under the surface was an immense amount of grief for Sarah Jane Smith, "Hello Doctor", Luke greeted stiffly, "I thought you would be inside".

"I'm sorry but I can't stay", The Doctor replied, "I've come to make sure that you're alright".

"Yeah we're fine", Rani replied in confusion, "we thought you were going to read something during the service".

The Doctor ran a hand through her dark hair, "I promised that a Doctor would read that the service", she stated, "I've said my goodbyes, it's only right that someone else gets their chance". That was only half the story from the Time Lady, saying goodbye to her long time companion had been hard for her. She didn't think that she would be able to hold it together for the entire service, "I've also got to give you these", she added, handing something over to Rani and Clyde.

The pair inspected the small strips of green card but didn't fully understand the writing that was on the surface, "Erm, thanks", Clyde stated hesitantly.

"It's a full pardon issued by the Shadow Proclamation", the Time Lady began, "there's some other legal gibberish written too but essentially your confinement to Earth has been lifted". The group weren't sure what to say, it certainly wasn't something they were expecting The Doctor to do for them, "Don't ask me what I had to do to get them to issue those", she continued, "seriously don't, it'll take too long to explain".

"Thank you", Rani replied with a slight stammer, "but I'm not sure we're going to be leaving Earth any time soon".

The Time Lady nodded slowly, "You have a point Miss Chandra but take it from me, you lot were good at what you did". The quartet looked away in embarrassment at the praise from the alien woman, "I'm not saying that you make a decision today, tomorrow or even in a few weeks but it would be a shame to let such talented alien investigators slip into retirement".

Luke stepped forward and extended his hand to the Time Lady, "Thank you Doctor", he shook the woman's hand, "you've certainly given us a lot to think about". He checked his watch, "We'd better get inside, the service will start soon". The Doctor nodded and accepted another hand shake from Clyde and Rani. Sky was a little more forward and enthusiastically threw her arms around the alien. The Doctor stiffened slightly before finally returning the gesture, gently ruffling the brunette's hair in the process.

As the Time Lady watched the quartet disappear into the church, she felt a familiar presence walking up the path and coming to a halt just behind her, "You received my message then", she half asked, half stated.

The man towered over the Time Lady and he had a mop of curly brown hair that was mostly hidden under a wide brimmed hat. The most striking thing about the man's appeared was the multi coloured, impossibly long scarf that was wrapped around his neck and body, "Indeed", the Fourth Doctor replied with his powerful voice, "I must say that I was a little surprised to receive a message from my own future". The current Doctor turned around slowly turned around to face one of her previous regenerations, "Well, this is a little different", Four added, appraising his future self.

"I thought so too but I'm getting used to it", The Doctor replied, "out of curiosity, when exactly did my message reach you?"

"Oh you know, just travelling around by myself", Four stated, "Leela's just stayed behind on Gallifrey with Andred", he added. The Doctor nodded in reply and offered a small smile, "Is something interesting about to happen?" Four asked curiously.

"Something interest always happens to us", The Doctor stated cryptically. She knew though that the arrival of Romana in the TARDIS was imminent and remembered the interesting times she would have with the Time Lady, "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances", the Time Lady added with a more solemn tone.

The Fourth Doctor sighed, "Yes, terribly sad news", he paused for a moment in contemplation, "second decade of the twenty first century though, not a bad innings". The two incarnations of The Doctor stood in silence for a couple of moments, each revisiting their favourite memories of Sarah Jane Smith. For the Fourth Doctor most of his adventures with the woman were still pretty recent. The Twelfth and current Doctor though had gotten to see a different side to Sarah Jane, an investigator in her own right whilst balancing the trickiest job of them all, being a mother. "Are you sure I'm the right person to do a speech for Sarah Jane", Four continued, almost picking up on the thoughts of his successor, "you have known her for much longer than I have. Plus I haven't had time to prepare a speech".

"She did meet some other incarnations of us" The Doctor replied, brushing some loose hair away from her face, "but she always held a soft spot for you, so do I if can be honest with", she paused and shrugged, "well myself I suppose". The Fourth Doctor flashed the raven haired woman with his famous grin, "Trust me the eulogy will have more impact coming from you". She reached into her velvet jacket and pulled out a few cue cards, "As for the speech, I've come prepared".

She handed the card over to the Fourth Doctor who looked at the words with increasing confusion, "Forgive me my dear but these do not look like words you would say", he mumbled to himself.

"They're not", The Doctor shrugged, "I remembered what I said when I was you and wrote them down".

The Time Lord and Lady snorted with laughter as the ridiculous nature of that particular paradox and the scarf wearing Doctor tapped the cards against his nose, "This can be our little secret, don't want the Time Lord's knowing about this".

The Doctor kept the grin fixed on her face to mask the truth about their people from her predecessor. She had taken a big risk inviting him to this time period and she didn't want to increase the damage by inadvertently revealing too much of the future, "Our secret, scouts honour", she held up three figures in the traditional Scout salute. "Time for me to go", she bowed her head towards the Fourth Doctor, "until next time Doctor".

The curly haired man tipped his hat towards his successor, "Until I am you Doctor", with that parting comment he entered the church to deliver his speech.

The Time Lady thrust her hands deep into her pockets and slowly strolled towards her TARDIS. The Fourth Doctor had always been one of her favourite incarnation and there never seemed to be any tension with the man when she had encountered this version later in her time line. As much as the current Doctor hated to admit it, Four was always Sarah Jane's favourite and it only seemed right that he got to attend her funeral.

Entering the TARDIS, The Doctor closed the door and approached the console. She leaned on the structure for support and whispered one final goodbye to Sarah Jane Smith. Throwing a lever on the desktop the Time Lady set off for the time vortex for a few hours of rest and recuperation before she would even think about travelling to another location.

Somewhere far away from the TARDIS, Sarah Jane Smith opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself lying on the grass in the middle of a small park. The air smelt fresh and clean and in the distance she could hear the gentle tinkling of water. Slowly getting to her feet, Sarah Jane was surprised to see that her body had been restored to full health. There was no sign of the lung condition that had led to her death and after checking her reflection in a small puddle her face wasn't the same pale and gaunt shade that she remembered.

"Ah hello Miss Sarah Jane Smith", a bright and cheery voice greeted her, "been expecting you for a while if we're honest". The curly haired man checked his tablet computer for her details, "Introductions first", he continued without looking up, "my name's Sebastian and I will be your initial host here in heaven". Sarah Jane frowned, she wasn't a particularly religious person and she wasn't opposed to the concept of heaven but something didn't feel right. Maybe she had spent too long in association with The Doctor and had picked up on his suspicious nature. "Let's see, home era late twentieth early twenty first century", Sebastian continued, "nasty cause of death but not the worst I've seen".

Sarah Jane waived her hands to silence the man, "I'm sorry did you say your name was Sebastian?" The man nodded in response, "Sorry to sound like a non believer but could I talk to the person in charge?"

Sebastian sighed deeply, "The big guy did say that's you'd be a tricky customer", he tutted to himself and tapped away furiously on his tablet, "The big guy doesn't like to be disturbed but I think they'll make an exception for an associate of The Doctor's".

Before Sarah Jane had a chance to question the man further, Sebastian disappeared in a flash of light, leaving her seemingly alone in the garden. Nervously flicking her head around, the former journalist felt like someone was watching her, "Hello", she called out hesitantly.

"Sarah Jane Smith", a distorted sounding voice called out from nowhere, "we meet again".

Sarah Jane felt like she knew the voice from somewhere but couldn't identify who it was. She prepared herself for an imminent arrival, her body tensing in anticipation, "Whoever you are", she said defiantly, "show yourself". There was a low chuckle and the owner of the mystery voice appeared directly in front of her, "No", she shook her head in disbelief, "that's not possible".

"Oh I assure you that it is", they said, "we're going to have so much fun and then", the owner of the voice chuckled madly, "we're going to break the Doctor's hearts". Another mad cackle followed before Sarah Jane and her assailant disappeared, leaving behind an empty and peaceful looking garden.

 **THE END**

 _ **A/N -** Said it would be brief. So Sarah Jane meets up with the mystery person who's been stalking the Doctor. Maybe we'll see her again, maybe we won't. Death doesn't always mean the end in a time travelling, science fiction show. Back to the main story next week as the first chapter's of "All The World's A Stage" will be published._


End file.
